Global Arab Network | UK and US shut embassies as al-Qaeda plans attack in Yemen

Translate this article to your language:

GANPublications

e-Publications

Add Site to Favorites

Add Page to Favorites

Make Homepage

Share This Page

RSS Feed

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| |

UK and US shut embassies as al-Qaeda plans attack in Yemen

Global Arab Network - - Adam Turner

Sunday, 03 January 2010 18:26

The US has indications that al-Qaeda is planning an attack in the Yemeni capital Sanaa, President Barack Obama's top counter-terrorism adviser has said.
John Brennan was speaking after the US and UK announced their embassies in Sanaa had temporarily closed.

Mr Brennan, the US Deputy National Security Adviser for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, told ABC's This Week TV programme that the group had "several hundred members" in Yemen and was posing an increasing threat there.

"This is something that we've known about for a while," he said. "We're determined to destroy al-Qaeda, whether it's in Pakistan, Afghanistan, or in Yemen."

Mr Brennan added: "We know that they have been targeting our embassy, our embassy personnel."

It was not clear when the UK or US embassies would reopen.

In a statement on its website, the US embassy said it would be closed on Sunday "in response to ongoing threats by al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula to attack American interests in Yemen".

The embassy also reminded US citizens in Yemen to be aware of security.

A Foreign Office spokeswoman said the British embassy was closed on Sunday and a decision would be taken later on whether to open it on Monday.

Yemen Interior Ministry has said that al-Qaeda terrorists in governorates of Abyan and Shabwa are under surveillance around the clock.

The Ministry website said that the all the places, in where the terrorists might exist are being under a strict security cordon.

The security bodies in the two governorates were ordered to raise the security alert to encounter any terrorist acts of al-Qaeda.

In its directives, the Interior Ministry emphasized the significance of involving all citizens to collect information as much as possible on the terrorists' moves and locations.

It also underlined the significance of high-level coordination among the security bodies and set up joint plans to track the terrorists in Abyan and Shabwa.

Moreover, the security bodies have been directed to tighten security at its coasts to thwart possible infiltration of militants of the Somalia-based Young Mejuhideen Movement (Harakat Al Shabaab), which announced last Friday readiness to send militants to support al-Qaeda in Yemen.

The Somali movement stated last Friday it was ready to send militants to support Al-Qaeda members in Yemen, who have been hit strongly by the Yemeni army.

In December, 2009, the counterterrorism troops in Yemen raided several Al-Qaeda hideouts and training sites in killing and arresting scores terrorist suspects.

Arhab Operation
Yemeni Security sources revealed that forces have received information on new terrorist elements from Al-Qa'eda joining others in Arhab via Jawf governorate were under surveillance in Arhab district in villages of Salam, Bait al-Maran Arhab and Bait Mujali.

They were planning to carry out terrorist and suicide operations in the Capital Sana'a against targets they defined, the British Embassy, locations of oil companies and some foreign schools. But these terrorist plots have been thwarted by military operation carried out in Nawbah, a place where terrorists had gathered there.

The sources clarified that the Nawbah operation had targeted six terrorists elements and resulted in killing three; Hani al-Shu'alan who returned from Guantanamo, Muti' Al-Ratas and Samir al-Matari while the forth one, Ahmad al-Muhares was injured.

Security also seized a group of terrorists possessions showed that the explosives they used were the same used for targeting the Saudi Prince Mohammad bin Nayef. However, al-Tabbah operation targeted a red- Nisan car used by the terrorists for transportation. There were three terrorists inside it and could fly. They were Qasem al-Raimi, Hizam Saleh Mujalli and a third one still unknown.

The Bait- Mujalli operation resulted in arresting the terrorist Aref Mujalli. As a result, the security campaign was trapped by al-Qa'eadah elements, while returning, and clashes erupted between the security forces and the group resulted in injuring one officer and a soldier and arresting all the eight elements forming the group. They were Qasem al-Esami, Ali al-Qutaish, Faraj Hadi Masood al-Ghodra'a, Radman Hadi Masood al-Ghodra'a, Abdullah Mohsen al-Hakami, Ahmad Muhsen al-Hakami, Ahmad Ali Saleh al-Muharess and Aref Saleh Mujalli.

According to the information, 19 of al-Qaedah suspected have been arrested and investigations are still going to know to what extent they have links with the network.

Abyan operation
Yemeni security sources said that Abyan operation has been preceded by accurate intelligent surveillance revealed existence of a training camp to al-Qaeda in Al-Ma'ajalah area in al-Mahfad district. The camp included a group of Yemeni and foreign elements and was used for training and housing the terrorists elements to qualify them to carry out terrorist attacks.

The sources added that the unique air strike, which targeted the camp, resulted in killing a number of Yemeni and foreign elements. They were Mohammad al-Kazimi, Mithaq al- Jaled, Ubad Salem Muqbel, Samir Sheikh Mohammad Amqida a cousin of terrorist Abdul-Mune'm al-Qahtani, Saudi Mohammad al-Thara'an and another Saudi element called al-Kindi, in addition to a number of remains yet are unknown because of being carbonized.

The sources indicated that five remains have been buried in al-Ma'ajalah area while six others have been transported to Modia district there and buried in Amqida. Seven others remains have been buried in Zara area in Lauder.

According to the sources, five terrorists have been injured during the operation and have been transformed to Lawder Hospital and then have been transported to unknown places. They are: Abdullah Salem Ali, Haidrah Ali, Mohammad Salem, Abdurrahman Mohammad Qayed and Fattah al-Amri.

The information indicated that the families of the terrorists Mohammad al-Kazmi and Abdullah Sheikh are among the victims. These families have been brought and housed in a camp for preparing food to the elements in the camp which means the raid did not targeted civilians.

Security sources have expressed regret to hitting civilians during carrying out the operation and shouldered the terrorists the responsibility of this for they exposed their families to death when they brought them to isolated place and training camp given that they already know the camp is targeted by security forces.

The information revealed that Saleh al-Kazmi, who was killed in Majalah operation, was one of the al-Qaeda's leaders in Abyan and it was he who established the training camp to the system and provided it with protecting and logistic support in cooperation with the terrorist Abdul-Munaem al-Qahtani, one of the dangerous terrorists in Abyan. They brought a number of families, al-Kazemi family one of them, to cook and provide food to al-Qaeda elements in the camp located in a remote area.

The camp included Yemeni, Saudi and Somali elements affiliated with al-Qaedah some of them were killed by the air strike. Al-Karezmi was arrested four years ago by security forces and released on bail provided by Sheikhs in the area on the basis that he would leave the network. In reverse, he resumed his activities and when the state demanded the sheikhs to hand him on the basis of previous commitments, they were unable to do so.

After the operation, the sources revealed that a meeting to al-Qaeda leaderships has been held secretly in al-Majalah area in al-Mahfad district, namely in the house of the leading element Abdul-Mune'm al-Qahtani who was also targeted by the operation but the operation was delayed because of existing a number of citizens live near the house.

The meeting was attended by Naser al-Wahishi, the so called leader of al-Qaeda in the Peninsula, Badr Saud al-Awfi (Saudi citizen), Omer Naser Zuainah "Abu Hafs" from Lawder, Abyan and Majed Masri, undefined. They flocked into the area to condole families of their colleagues who were killed in Abyan attack.

According to security sources, al- Qaeda elements have booby-trapped the location of the camp where they planted mines and explosives to target the security investigation team and the fact finding committees formed from the government and the parliament while entering the camp.

On December 21, the booby-trapped explosives exploded and killed two officers; Colonel Saleh Assaidi and Masood Qutayani and injured a number of citizens. Another incident occurred also in al-Mahfada as some people took explosives from the hit al-Qaeda camp. Four people have been injured.

Sana'a operation
Yemeni sources clarified that coordination to arrest a group of terrorists in the Capital Secretariat have been coincided the previous two operations. This group has linked to Arhab elements. The operation has led to arresting 14 elements, currently are currently interrogated.

These three operations have been hailed by Yemeni audience and politicians who expressed happiness of security forces' success in beating terrorists and thwarted their plots aimed at shedding Yemeni blood and destabilizing their security and stability.

They have been appreciated on Arab and foreign levels.

Shabwa operation
Yemeni Air forces carried out early on Thursday December, 24 an air strike in Rafdh area of al-Said districts in Shabwa governorate killing about 30 al-Qaeda suspects from Yemeni and foreign nationalities.

An official source in the Supreme Security Committee said that the strike targeted a hideout of al-Qaeda, where the al-Qaeda members have been holding a meeting attended by the terrorists Nasir al-Whaishi and Said al-Shihri, Saudi national.

According to the source, al-Qaeda meeting was to plan to carry out a number of terrorist operations against Yemeni and foreign interests, including important economic facilities.

Al-Qeada in the Arabian Peninsula
Al-Qaeda in the Peninsula has been announced early 2009 as al-Qaeda foreign elements poured to Yemen for defaming the country politically and damaging the economic interests, especially in fields of tourism and investments, in addition to evoke terrorists in the region and in the world to come to Yemen from the world and specifically from Saudi Arabia to get the financial support to carry out terrorist operations and implementing foreign plots to destabilize the region.

This terrorist entity has been deluded it was able to plot to establish alleged Islamic Emirate in some governorates like Abyan after the pattern of what Taliban did in Afghanistan when established training camps attracted terrorist elements during the 1990s. They wanted to make governorates of Abyan Shabwa, Mareb, Al-Jawf and Haramout dangerous places to hit tourism there.

It also wanted to approve that this small group of Al Qaeda is regional system to plan to carry out terrorist operations not only in Yemen but also in other regional countries, specifically Saudi Arabia, given a try by the group to assassinate Saudi Assistant Minister of Interior prince Mohammad Bin Nayef bin Abdul-Aziz.

Al- Qaeda elements, since establishing what is called Al-Qaeda in the Arab Peninsula early this year, have worked on carrying out terrorist operations against vital local and foreign interests. They aim at targeting officers and soldiers including targeting military and security leadership in Hadramout on November 3, 2009 and assassinated General Ali Salem Al-Ameri the director of General Security and General Ahmad Ba-Wazir the Director of the Political Security Agency in Hadramout and two bodyguards in addition to kidnapping and killing lieutenant-colonel Bassam Turbush, the Head of Investigation Department in Criminal Investigation Office in Mareb. Al-Qaeda also is accused of kidnapping the German expert in Arhab and Killing the two female German citizens and a Korean citizen, besides targeting tourists in Mareb and Hadramout. (BBC, ABC, SABA)

Global Arab Network

Add comment

The opinions of the authors in articles published are theirs alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of Global Arab Network
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Published comments are the opinions of private individuals and do not reflect the views of Global Arab Network